Lord Peter Hendy visits Transport Museum Wythall
Published: 27/02/2024
It was VIP day at Transport Museum Wythall on Thursday February 22nd with a whistle stop visit from Lord Peter Hendy of Richmond Hill, Chairman of Network Rail (NR).
For this official NR visit to the area, along with a number of NR executives and local dignitaries and which included the re-opening of Henley in Arden station following refurbishment, TMW provided the transport, Midland Red of course.
Lord Peter Hendy is a lifelong bus fan, having started his career with London Transport as a graduate trainee and going on to become Commissioner of Transport for London in 2006.
His visit to TMW included a briefing on the museum, its history and a tour of the vehicles. He was most complimentary about the collection and was particularly impressed by the museum’s philosophy of providing, beyond being a bus museum, an appealing visitor attraction which tells many stories about the social history of the times and the part that buses and public transport in general paid in moving the nation - and all delivered by a 100% volunteer group.
Peter owns two London Transport Routemaster buses and was particularly pleased to see the museum’s RCL Routemaster, not in typical London red but a country version in Green Line livery.
His self-confessed highlight of the day was to drive the museum’s Midland Red D9 double decker, affectionately known in the enthusiast world as the ‘Brummie Routemaster’, having been developed for a similar role to the London icon as the company’s ubiquitous double deck bus.
In total, 345 D9s were built, operating across the entire Midland Red network so it was fitting that Peter should drive an example in Midland Red’s 120th year. Unfortunately his drive from the museum to Henley in Arden station in Warwickshire was in torrential rain, but clearly not dampening his spirits as he arrived with a big smile on his fac e.
The museum looks forward to welcoming Lord Hendy back for a more relaxed visit later in the year.
www.wythall.org.uk
Lord Peter Hendy arriving at a very wet Henley-in-Arden
